heidi heitkamp

Heitkamp will not run for governor. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp announced Wednesday she won't run for governor in 2016.

According to Bismarck Tribune reporter Nick Smith, Heitkamp, speaking on her brother's Fargo, N.D., radio show, said she didn't think the time was right. https://twitter.com/NSmithReports/status/641633188264054784

Heitkamp, whose Senate seat could be vulnerable in 2018, told a local radio station her decision would come by next week. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat whose seat could likely be a top target for national Republicans in 2018, will soon announce whether she will pursue a political path that could take a re-election campaign out of the picture.

Evers since the state’s Republican governor, Jack Dalrymple, announced he would not seek re-election next year, Heitkamp has been mulling a run. Speaking on her brother's radio show on Wednesday, Heitkamp said she would reveal her decision in the next five to seven days. “I think she’s a 50-50 at this point,” said one Democrat familiar with her thinking, adding that while her profile might make her more competitive than other Democrats in the deeply red state, a successful campaign would not be an easy feat.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., had begun to mull the possibility of a second run for the job well before Dalrymple's announcement, and the possibility of her candidacy was talked up by leaders at the Democratic Governors Association in February.